Slaying Demons

Xiao Jie pondered for a moment.

Clearly, the rewards corresponding to these three options were quite different.

The first would undoubtedly yield the full reward, but it was also the most difficult. Only he and I Want to Become Immortal were going to challenge the Tree Demon Spawn; if that thing turned out to be a major boss, it would be dangerous.

The second was relatively safer, but the reward would be discounted. Judging by the Old Village Chief's tone, it meant there would be equipment rewards but no monetary ones.

The third was completely devoid of danger, but the rewards were the least—only money—and it was the safest, requiring no action at all.

"Brother Following Wind, which one should we choose?"

"Let's go with the second."

Xiao Jie gritted his teeth as he spoke. The thought of the top-tier quest reward being downgraded to second-rate made his heart bleed.

That was one thousand Copper Coins, after all. He would have to chop so much wood and herd so many sheep to earn that much.

But no matter how much it hurt, there was no other way. Just as he had said before, wishful thinking was the biggest trap in this kind of game and must never be entertained. Safety had to come first in everything.

He immediately clicked on the second option.

"Old Village Chief, it would be best if you sent some militia to accompany us, just in case."

The old man nodded. "Hmm, that makes sense. Very well, I have a Village Chief's Token here. You two can take it to Captain Tie to mobilize a few militia members to go with you."

[System Notification: Obtained quest item [Village Chief's Token].]

Xiao Jie glanced at the token in his inventory.

This should make things safe enough, he thought.

Let's go. We should get this done early before it gets dark.

It was already past three in the afternoon; any further delay and night would fall.

When the two arrived at the militia training grounds, they saw Tie Qianli training a dozen or so of his men.

The Ginkgo Village militia were generally equipped with Leather Armor and wielded weapons like swords, shields, spears, and bows. Their levels were mostly around five or six.

Xiao Jie produced the token and explained their purpose directly to Tie Qianli.

"Captain Tie, the Village Chief has ordered us to mobilize a few militia members to assist us with official business."

Tie Qianli took the token, examined it, and nodded. "I understand. These are all capable men under my command. You two may choose whoever you like. However, these men all have families to support. If they are to go on an adventure with you, I must ask for a settlement fee before I can issue the order. It's not much—five hundred coins per person will suffice. Choose as many as you need and pay by the head."

So that was it. Mobilizing the militia was a flexible service; the more you hired, the higher the cost.

But since money had to be spent anyway, Xiao Jie didn't bother trying to save. Two thousand coins—just enough to hire four.

He began to look them over one by one.

Feng Qisheng: Sword and Shield Militia: Level 5, Skill: Shield Defense.

Teng Qizhi: Spear Militia: Level 6, Skill: Thrust.

Duan Leyue: Sword and Shield Militia: Level 6, Skill: Whirlwind Slash.

Wang Yidu: Archer Militia: Level 5, Skill: Rapid Fire.

Liu Liangyu: Archer Militia...

He hadn't expected that even in such a small village, there would be so many militia members to choose from—at least a dozen.

Xiao Jie didn't hesitate and chose only the Sword and Shield Militia.

If they were going to chop down a tree, spears and bows would certainly be useless; swords were much more appropriate.

"Brother Immortal, let's each chip in another 200 coins. Go buy four Firewood Knives."

"Hm? Why?"

Xiao Jie explained, "The Willow Leaf Saber only has 14 attack power; the damage is too low, and I'm not confident in it. Although the Firewood Knife only has 12 attack power, it has the [Wood Cutting] weapon effect, which provides a 50% damage boost. It's perfect for chopping a tree demon. Besides, it's not like we're short on this little bit of money, right?"

"Understood. I'll get right on it. I'll cover the costs."

Xiao Jie didn't stand on ceremony. "That works. Go quickly, we'll meet at the Back Mountain."

Ten minutes later, the two of them arrived at the Ginkgo Tree in the Back Mountain with the four militia members.

All four militia members had switched to Firewood Knives.

Looking at the Ginkgo Tree before him, Xiao Jie thought that if only they had fire. Fire countered wood, and fire-type spells would definitely be effective against this thing.

But that was just wishful thinking; he likely wouldn't have the chance to learn any spells in the short term.

"You lot, get ready. If this tree shows any movement, start hacking immediately," Xiao Jie ordered the four militia members.

"Rest assured, brave warriors, we are ready."

The four men took up positions at the four corners of the Ginkgo Tree. Xiao Jie drew his blade, I Want to Become Immortal gripped his axe, and both struck at the same time.

Crack!

Thud!

An axe and a blade bit into the trunk of the Ginkgo Tree simultaneously, and sap sprayed out instantly.

The Ginkgo Tree, however, showed no reaction, appearing as nothing more than an ordinary tree.

The two men did not hesitate; one with an axe and the other with a knife, they hacked away incessantly.

After a few rounds, the Ginkgo Tree was bleeding profusely, a truly terrifying sight.

Just as Xiao Jie began to think this thing had no combat ability at all, the Ginkgo Tree suddenly shook violently. Countless branches trembled like tentacles, the ground churned, and over a dozen root-like vines burst from beneath the soil, winding toward the two men.

A long health bar appeared above the Ginkgo Tree.

Tree Demon Spawn (Lesser Monster): Elite Unit: Level 9, Health 590.

Holy crap, it really is alive! Xiao Jie was both shocked and delighted.

"Go, go, go!" he shouted urgently to the militia while pulling back.

As a level one newbie, it was better not to tank the monster at a time like this.

The four Sword and Shield Militia charged forward, brandishing their firewood knives and hacking away with a rhythmic clatter.

I Want to Become Immortal started to charge in as well, but Xiao Jie quickly shouted, "Don't be reckless! We just need to ensure we participate; let the four of them tank the monster."

As he spoke, Xiao Jie stepped in to land a One Cut Two Pieces, severing a root before quickly retreating to let the four militia draw the Tree Demon's aggro.

These militia were wearing leather armor and had around 200 health; they could take a hit or two without dying, making them much sturdier than him.

Seeing this, I Want to Become Immortal followed suit, hacking once with his axe before rolling out of the circle.

The two of them took turns, merely chipping away at the monster from the sidelines, while the militia dealt the majority of the damage.

The firewood knives were surprisingly effective against the Tree Demon; each strike shaved off over a dozen points of health, and after a few rounds, the Tree Demon's health bar was nearly depleted.

"No! Why! Why!"

The Tree Demon Spawn let out a strange roar, its roots flailing about wildly.

Seeing this, Xiao Jie quickly stepped back a few paces; it looked like the thing was about to unleash an ultimate skill.

Even I Want to Become Immortal sensed something was wrong and retreated two steps as well.

Suddenly, over a dozen roots coiled around the nearest militia member, instantly binding him like a mummy.

The roots pierced directly into the militia's body, beginning to drain his health to restore the Tree Demon's nearly empty health bar.

"Quick! Cut its roots!" Xiao Jie rushed forward.

One Cut Two Pieces!

With a flash of the blade, a thick root was severed in two, blood spraying from the stump.

I Want to Become Immortal also leaped into the air, bringing his logging axe down in a heavy jumping strike that severed another root.

The three remaining militia hacked away as well, and after a few rounds, they finally managed to cut all the roots.

Boom! The Tree Demon Spawn's health bar finally hit zero, and it collapsed with a crash.

[System Notification: You participated in killing the Elite Monster [Tree Demon Spawn], gained 189 Experience Points, your level has increased to 2, and you have gained 5 free attribute points.]

"Haha, we did it!" I Want to Become Immortal shouted excitedly.

"We did," Xiao Jie breathed a sigh of relief.

"Old Liu!" a militia member suddenly cried out in alarm.

Only then did Xiao Jie notice that the militia member who had been entangled by the roots was now dead.

His entire body had been drained into a withered husk.